Cleaning & Care

CARE INSTRUCTIONS FOR WOODEN FURNITURE

If cared for properly, your solid wood furniture can give you a lifetime of service and beauty. Here are several care tips that will enhance your solid wood furniture:

WOOD CHARACTERSTICS

• Each piece of wood is unique. As such the natural colour or grain variations will cause the wood to react differently to finish. It is not uncommon to find several contrasts in the same piece of furniture.

• The lighter pieces were closer to the trees bark the darker pieces were closer to the trees centre. Grain variations and mineral deposits should not be viewed as flaws.

• These natural markings have absolutely no effect on the furnitures durability or structural integrity. Knots and other characteristics are much like the nubs you find in such fine fabrics as silk and linen, true indications of genuine quality.

TIPS FOR PROTECTING AND PRESERVING YOUR SOLID WOOD FURNITURE

• Caring for fine furniture is much simpler than most people realize. Dust frequently, in most cases dusting regularly with a clean, soft, lint-free cloth is sufficient.

• Do not use a feather duster, because it will simply move dust around, flinging it into the air. Feather dusters can’t be washed. A feather duster quill could scratch the wood surface if a feather breaks off. Dust is abrasive.

• BE VERY CAREFUL WHILE USING WATER TO CLEAN WOOD. Wood should never get wet or soaked. Water can cause swelling, warping or staining when it penetrates a finish. Avoid storing furniture in damp basement where the furniture may swell. Use coasters, pads, cloths or runners to protect against spills and water rings.

• If water spills over wood, thats ok, you just need to clean the spill immediately with tissue or cotton cloth.

TIPS FOR PROTECTING AND PRESERVING YOUR SOLID WOOD FURNITURE

HOW TO DUST:

• Your Mother was right! Dust Frequently. Use a clean, washable cloth made of soft, lint-free cotton. Best choices include an old T-shirt, diaper, cheesecloth, dish towel, piece of flannel, or chamois.

• Dust cloth should have no snaps, buttons, zippers or thick seams that could scratch furnitures surfaces. Do not use a dust cloth that has hanging threads or unravelling edges, which could catch on wood slivers, molding, knobs or other loose pieces.

USE OF POLISHING PRODUCTS:

• We use different finishing products for different products. For Teak we normally use Melamine or PU spray finish. For other solid wood we use Laquer or Wax for finishing. Its better to get your products repolished by some experienced polishing persons rather than trying to use some polishes yourself as that might damage the wood surface.

TIPS FOR PROTECTING AND PRESERVING YOUR SOLID WOOD FURNITURE

WATCH THE HUMIDITY:

• Controlling relative humidity and temperature is important to the long term life of fine wood furniture, and upholstery. If an atmospheric change is too drastic or humidity and temperature levels too extreme one way or the other, your furniture can be damaged.

• Wood is very sensitive to changes in relative humidity. As the weather changes, so does the relative humidity in your home and in the moisture content of the wood in your furniture.

• This means that furniture is constantly expanding and contracting. Frequent and sudden changes in relative humidity are especially bad. Wood is most likely to crack & split, when the climate in a home suddenly changes from hot and humid to cool and dry.

• Place furniture away from all heat sources, in front of radiators, heat runs or fireplaces. If you must put furniture near an air duct, use a shield or guard plate to direct heat away.

• If furniture is to be stored, it generally does better in an unheated environment because the relative humidity will fluctuate within a much narrow range. Air can hold more moisture at a high temperature than at a low one.

• Wood can best handle temperature and relative humidity changes if they occur gradually. Abrupt changes (closing a vacation home, for example) can cause serious stress to your furniture.

TIPS FOR PROTECTING AND PRESERVING YOUR SOLID WOOD FURNITURE

• Control humidity to 40%-45%. In winter use a humidifier, in summer use a dehumidifier or air conditioner. Use coasters with non-scratching bottoms. Use padding under all sharp, hot or cold objects.

• When air conditioning your home, it is best to keep the intake of outside humid air to a minimum. Humidifiers or vaporizing units can be added to a heating / air conditioning central system to help stabilize the humidity level.

• Dehumidifiers need to be used during wet, rainy times and in damp rooms to remove excess moisture from the air.

AVOID DIRECT SUNLIGHT:

• Avoid exposing your furniture to strong sunlight. Unfiltered ultraviolet (UV) rays will discolour and damage wood, finishes, fabrics. Prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause the finish to crack, sometimes in a pattern resembling the skin of an alligator.

• Tablecloths and mats slow down the process, but they don’t stop it. Try to keep furniture out of direct sunlight. When this is not possible, reduce the amount of light streaming on any piece of furniture. Use window shades, drapes or blinds to block light during the time of day

• Uniformly expose surface to light. Especially avoid letting the sun hit only part of a surface. Occasionally move lamps, doilies and other objects so the wood ripens uniformly.

TIPS FOR PROTECTING AND PRESERVING YOUR SOLID WOOD FURNITURE

AVOID CHEMICAL EXPOSURE:

• Keep solvents such as nail polish remover, alcohol and paint thinner away from wood furniture because they can harm the finish. Alcohol is contained in colognes, perfumes and medications as well as in wine, beer and liquor.

• Fingerprints, perspiration and body oils can harm a finish over time, especially on chairs. Plants and flower nectar that touch the finish can also cause permanent stains. Placing hot items on furniture can cause a chemical change in the finish that, results in white rings or spots.

• Products containing ammonia should never be used as it will harm your finish. We recommend the use of hot mats, coasters even though the finish is water and heat resistant.

• Do not leave plastic objects lying on wood surfaces. Colour from plastic tablecloths, appliance covers, wrappers, place mats and toys can leach into wood over time. Plastic can also stick to a finish, damaging it when it is pulled up. Avoid brightly coloured felt because its colour could leach into the wood.

CAREFULLY MOVE FURNITURE:

• Objects should be lifted rather than dragged across a finished surface. Expect some small surface scratches to appear on some finishes through normal use. Furniture wax can minimize this occurrence in many cases.

• Lift heavy furniture with the help of at least two people. Lift cabinets, chests and dressers from the bottom. Take care not to lift a cabinet by grasping only the top. If a drawer has two handles, use both to open it. Avoid stuffing drawers with too many items.

• Sliding pieces could hurt your wood floor and damage furniture legs by applying too much sideways pressure. If necessary, place furniture slider under the legs of furniture pieces to make moving easier and safer.

TIPS FOR PROTECTING AND PRESERVING YOUR SOLID WOOD FURNITURE

• Firm writing on the finished surface may cause indentations to the finish / wood. Place objects on trivets, tablecloths, doilies or other covers to protect the finish. Use felt bottoms on lamps and other decorative objects.

SPECIFIC CARE FOR EACH FURNITURE:

• Any solid wood that is generally more than 4” in thickness is susceptible to cracks. Cracks can develop in swing pillar, elephant heads or bases. Please get in touch with our Customer Care for any of these kind of issues & they will have it fixed.

For Swings:

• Please make a note that kids of any age are strictly advised not to stand on the seat, this changes the centre of gravity of the swing & it could topple, hurting the child & the swing.

• Swings have ball bearings, which needs to be oiled in case of any noise coming while swinging. Swing chains & hooks can be polished if the shine reduces as they are made of brass. These can be cleaned with “Brasso” or any other brass cleaner.

• Please do not shift swings from one place to another without dismantling the swing as this might cause breakage or damage to the swing.

For Sofas:

• The Sofa fabric can be treated with scotch guard to avoid stains. You can also order for washable sofa covers from us which can be removed & washed regularly. (You can contact Our Office for any queries in this regard.) Our Sofas in general come with elastic bands below which might loosen up (in very rare cases) over a period of time due to some jumping or heavy sitting. If you find your sofa is sagging at any point, please call on us. Whenever you need to change the fabric of the sofa please call our customer care. You can also try getting it done from local upholstery guys but you need to ask them to be careful and not damage the wood or carvings in the process.

TIPS FOR PROTECTING AND PRESERVING YOUR SOLID WOOD FURNITURE

For Dinings:

• The Dining fabric can also be treated with scotch guard to avoid stains. You can also order for washable covers from us which can be removed & washed regularly. Dining chairs should not be dropped as this could cause chipping of the wood.